WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Avengers #31, by Jason Aaron, Gerardo Zaffino, Geraldo Borges, Szymon Kudranski, Bazaldua, Robert Gill, Mattia DeIulis, VC's Joe Caramagna and Rachelle Rosenberg, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Tony Stark/Iron Man's difficult relationship with his adoptive father, Howard Stark, has followed him throughout his many adventures and served in part as motivation to do what he does. Adding to the difficulty of that relationship is the elder Stark's death in a car crash, which has kept Tony from getting the opportunity to address his issues with Howard directly. However, there are now two versions of Howard Stark running around the Marvel Universe as of Avengers #31, which may provide Tony a chance to interact with his father in a new way.
The latest issue of the team-up series follows Tony trapped one million years in the past. After a confrontation with the 1,000,000 B.C. Avengers, Tony finds himself talking to Mephisto in the form of a serpent. The devil tries to convince Tony to join his side, but the hero refuses. This eventually leads to a confrontation between Tony and Mephisto in which the latter takes on the form of Howard Stark, who was revealed at the beginning of the issue to be a devil worshiper. The two exchange blows, with Mephisto trying to recruit Tony all the while. However, the hero keeps refusing, and Mephisto eventually uses the Time Stone to send him back to the present after giving him a horrifying vision of the future.
Following that event, Tony goes to Las Vegas to confront the imprisoned Mephisto, who has been there since losing the Throne of Hell. Tony again rejects Mephisto's offer to join up with him, but as the Iron Avenger flies away, the devil reveals to a mysterious person off-page that he never thought the hero would actually join up with him. Instead, inviting Tony into his plans was all about sowing "doubt and fear" in the hero before enacting the next stage of his plans. The mysterious man is then revealed as Howard Stark, seemingly restored to life, and ready to take on Tony Stark.
This isn't the first time Howard has made his return to the Marvel Universe lately, though this devil worshipping version is much different than the one already running around the Marvel Universe. In Tony Stark: Iron Man, Arno Stark -- the biological son of Howard and Maria Stark -- essentially revives the two by putting their consciousnesses into a new body via the same method the Iron Avenger used to bring himself back after his death at the end of Civil War II. Tony Stark: Iron Man soon gave way to Iron Man 2020, which sees Tony essentially giving up the Stark name and leading a robot revolution, with Arno serving as the book's namesake. At this time, Tony doesn't seem to know his parents are around, and he hasn't gotten to interact with them.
As the current Avengers arc has only just begun, it's unclear just how much Tony will get to interact with this new version of Howard or whether he's the authentic article. There's a good chance this is a trick of some sort by Mephisto. The devil is, after all, known for his tricks.
However, there's also the matter of just when Avengers and Tony Stark: Iron Man take place in regards to one another. Avengers #31 gives no indication of where it falls in the continuity. If we use the actual time at which the books were published as a guide, Avengers #31 would likely take place before Iron Man 2020 and thus the final arc of Tony Stark: Iron Man, though there's no clear indication that is indeed the case.
It's almost certain Tony will eventually meet one of these versions of Howard in either Avengers or in Iron Man 2020 or whatever series succeeds that book. However, it's most likely he'll meet Howard in both. This means one of the books will have to reflect Tony's interaction with Howard in the other to avoid any potential continuity problems, which might blunt the impact of the later interaction. Still, there are a lot of storytelling possibilities here. These two versions of Howard Stark are quite different, as the one in Iron Man 2020 is much more meek while the one in Avengers is aggressive. These two titles can potentially show the different sides of Howard Stark, which could further develop Tony as a character and help him address his most toxic relationship.
Avengers #32 releases March 11 from Marvel Comics.